Practiced more today. Switched main tether hitch to the JRB Ascender and love it. I got up over 20’ and around a limb, slow as I was. On a water oak with slick bark, too, which made it a bit hairier.
I could not, however, successfully place my Ameristeps ROS on the OCB and step into them. I had the buckle on the left hand side of the tree and tried placing it while my foot tether was packed away; looking back, I think placing it with both tethers on tree and then stepping into it would work better.
I also don’t know how to pack those darn things. They have some elastic band on the webbing that barely holds em together.
Keep working at it. It will get better with practice. I set my ring of steps as follows. When I have reached the spot where I judge my ring of steps should be to have me positioned at hunting height, I stop my climb and get into a comfortable resting position sitting in the saddle. I move the Distel hitch and carabiner on my foot tether up as high as they will go on my foot tether. I take off my backpack and hang it from the carabiner located on the Distel hitch on my foot tether. Now the pack is in front of me, and I can work out of it.
I leave about 10 inches of space between the top tether and the foot tether, and I set the ring of steps in between these two tethers. I unzip the pack, remove the ring of steps and get them oriented correctly so that I have the buckle of the OCB on my right side (right handed) at about the 2 o'clock position. I hook the strap of the OCB, tighten just enough to get the strap positioned, then start placing the steps where I want them.
When I have the steps where they should go, I pull more slack out of the OCB and then start camming over the buckle. This is where you just have to get a feel for it. Sometimes it works just right on the first go, sometimes I have to cam it, pull slack, and cam again. Sometimes it is too tight, and I have to let out just a little slack. Sometimes, in order to get a good purchase on the tree so that I can cam the buckle, I wrap my right leg around the tree and really lean in and wrap my left arm around the tree to get leverage.
Once the ring is set, I unclip the backpack and put it back onto my back. I move the Distel and carabiner on the foot tether back down near the Blake's hitch. I then step up on the foot tether and move the top tether up, sit back down and unweigh the foot tether. I then loosen the foot tether and work it over the ring of steps. I then climb as normal until I am standing on the ring of steps and have my top tether height right. I then move my foot tether up about 4 inches under the top tether, run the Distel hitch and carabiner on the foot loop up as high as they will go and lock the foot tether in place. Now the foot tether becomes my backpack hanger. I then remove the backpack, clip it in, and set it at about 2 o'clock on the tree to my right. This is where the pack will stay for the hunt.
I hope this makes sense.